Comics
Review: ‘Witch Doctor: Mal Practice’ #6
In its thrilling conclusion, Witch Doctor: Mal Practice #6 delivers an action-packed finale that must be read. This is an all-out confrontation between monsters, femme fatales, and a sarcastic witch doctor. The “Witch Doctor” series closes its second chapter with a satisfying ending filled with hilarious one-liners and nonstop action.
WRITTEN BY: Brandon Seifert
ART BY: Lukas Ketner
PUBLISHER: Image Comics
PRICE: $2.99
RELEASE: April 24th, 2013
Dr. Vincent Morrow has made a lot of enemies over the years, but these opponents have crossed the line and have taken something that he wants back. Dr. Morrow’s assistant, Penny, is being held hostage by his rivals. Inside The Medicine Show’s “Spell Lab,” Penny is tied in chains and cannot break free. Eric Gast is ready to crash through the door and start shooting. Even though he doesn’t understand what she is, Dr. Morrow will not stop fighting until he knows for sure that Penny is safe and sound.
Brandon Seifert gives each and every one of his characters something important to do. Nobody is wasted. First, Seifert throws Dr. Morrow into a car chase as the leader of the Medicine Show escapes. Next, Eric is bleeding from the neck and can barely keep his mind focused. He has to deal with a knife-wielding maniac, who has the upper-hand. Finally, Penny is foolishly let loose from her chains. Even if Morrow and Gast are able to stop the rest of the Medicine Show, they will have to find a way to control their unstoppable killing machine.
I love how Seifert ends the “Mal Practice” miniseries with an outrageously over-the-top moment. I didn’t think Seifert was going to top the twisted baby-shaking scene in “Volume 1: Under The Knife,” but he really comes close. With the final few pages, I was asking myself, “Should I be laughing at this?”
Artist Lukas Ketner is game for anything and goes all-out with his illustrations. Ketner captures the eeriness of a floating octopus with a woman’s head on it. Making great use of panel layouts, Ketner illustrates a bloody brawl between Dr. Morrow and the leader of the Medicine Show. Dr. Morrow looks like an action hero as he runs across and swings his glowing red sword at his enemy.
Ketner really knows how to emphasize the grossness when the scene calls for it. To show how tough she is, Penny rips out her own arm in front of her kidnapper. Without saying so, Penny is proving that she needs only one arm to deal with her captor. This is one of those key “Ewww!” moments that I hope we see more of with “Wich Doctor”.
“Witch Doctor: Mal Practice” #6 ties up loose threads, while leaving things open-ended for the next story arc. The “Witch Doctor” series remains an entertaining read, which is why I look forward to what Seifert and Ketner will come up with for the next story arc.
4/5 Skulls
Reviewed by – Jorge Solis
Comics
‘You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive’ – IDW Dark’s Next Horror Comic Will Make You Question Reality
Five friends. Four houses. One perfect life. Bloody Disgusting is excited to exclusively announce You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive, a brand new horror comic from IDW Dark.
From Eisner-Nominated writers Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly, and rising horror artist Heather Vaughan, You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive is described as a “paranoia-laced, socially-conscious, horror mystery that will leave you questioning reality, and reveal that this crafted world is more of a nightmare than the idealistic dream they were expecting.”
Phoebe Joplin has never questioned the world her parents built: a secluded community where she and her friends were raised to be smarter, stronger, and better than anyone else. No distractions. No dangers. No secrets. Until the night of their graduation.
When one of them dies under impossible circumstances, Phee starts to pull at the edges of her perfect life—and what she finds is something far more terrifying than she ever imagined.
Because this place isn’t a sanctuary. It’s a cage. And no one who discovers the truth ever leaves it alive.
Collin Kelly & Jackson Lanzing (Batman – One Bad Day: Clayface, Star Trek: The Last Starship) co-write the upcoming IDW Dark horror comic, featuring art by Heather Vaughan.
Jackson Lanzing said in a statement to Bloody Disgusting, “You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive is in many ways a spiritual successor to our last creator-owned horror, The Principles of Necromancy – a dive into the promise and consequence of playing god with the blood of innocents. But the Hivemind book this reminds me of most is Clayface: One Bad Day. This is a deeply human story with intensely raw emotions – five best friends and their five mysterious parents, tearing one another apart for the promise of some impossible glory that’s waiting just beyond their darkest actions. We’re thrilled to be bringing this story to life with our long-time partner in crime, editor Heather Antos, at IDW Dark – and we’re particularly excited to give our Clayface fans a new, brutal and emotional horror made just for them.”
Adds Collin Kelly, “We’re deconstructing a feeling that seems universal these days; our elders have a death grip on their power, without any intention of giving it up to the generations that come next. YNLTPA is about growing up with the limitless potential of the future… and realizing how much it’s a lie we’ve been fed to keep us under the yoke of the past. Bringing this brutal experience to life is our artist and co-creator, Heather Vaughan, who brings an incredible amount of humanity to our cast. But it’s in our youthful leads that Heather’s art really shines – you are going to fall in love with these young people, even as they go through the worst experience of their lives. What we’ve all crafted together is going to be tragic, painful, but above all else, sincere – with a future so uncertain, there’s only one thing we can trust: you’ll never leave this place alive.”
“Some horror stories are about monsters in the dark. YNLTPA is about realizing the monsters raised you,” previews Senior Group Editor Heather Antos. “Working with Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly on this series has been a dream in the darkest possible way. They’ve built a story that’s layered, brutal, and deeply emotional, and every issue gives artist Heather Vaughan opportunities to push the art into places that feel both haunting and deeply personal. Some horror comics will keep you up at night…this is one that will stick with you for years to come.”
The first issue of You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive goes on sale October 14, 2026! Make sure to pre-order at your local comic shop by September to guarantee a copy.
Exclusively check out the various covers for Issue #1 down below.
IDW Publishing’s horror imprint IDW DARK features comics like A Quiet Place: Storm Warning, Smile: For the Camera, The Exorcism at 1600 Penn, Beneath The Trees Where Nobody Sees, The Twilight Zone, Event Horizon: Dark Descent & Event Horizon: Inferno, and more.
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